Young people are an important focus in the prevention of radicalization
as they can be a very vulnerable group. Some particularly vulnerable young
people are difficult to reach. Youth workers and other practitioners working
with young people in social settings should be involved, to detect early signs
of radicalization and to offer alternatives. They can also be positive role
models or mentors. Youth workers are trained and experienced in working with
youngsters on many problematic topics (drugs, sexual exploitation, gambling,
gangs) and can use these skills to contribute to the prevention of radicalization.
In 2017, several handbooks and toolkits were produced at European level to aid youth workers active in this area. ‘The contribution of youth work to preventing marginalization and violent radicalization’ by the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and ‘Young people and extremism pack’ by the British Council and SALTO are examples. These excellent publications follow others, such as ‘The preventative role of open youth work in radicalization of open youth work’ by Werner Prinzjakowitsch.
These efforts were discussed in the RAN YF&C meeting on ‘The role of youth work in the prevention of radicalization’ of 6-7 December 2017. This ex post paper describes the results of this discussion and highlights key recommendations and methodologies. Youth workers and other experts can use this paper as a guide to essential lessons on PVE in their sector and consult the references to more detailed material.
